Cody Rhodes talked about his return to WWE after Wrestlemania 38. He also discussed his time in AEW and why he was ready for action during the media scrum. He also talked about his conversation with Triple H before his match, given all the stuff he discussed during his time in AEW. Which included destroying Triple H’s iconic throne. Cody Rhodes said:
We did speak and I think Triple H did it in such a Triple H fashion. Everybody had come on that bus to say hello, talk a little bit about what may happen and the very last one was Triple H. My former assistant from AEW came as a friend and he was on [the bus] and he knows the world’s worst kept secret that Hunter is my favorite wrestler. That was a really, [starts to tear up] jeez, this has been a wild tear-filled weekend, but it was just a good moment. Also to see him healthy and I know the retirement came as it did but to do some justice to not only see my favorite wrestler and somebody that gosh I wanted to model so many things after and such. Seth being his protégée and to be able to give some of those fan service moments for the fans and also for Triple H.
That was touching, especially because I talked a lot, destroyed his throne and was very loud. Although I was very intent on becoming angry, it was only a brief moment of anger. Why would I get angry? You guys pay me an absurd amount of money, and I get to be myself. I can be me, especially considering where I came from. There’s nothing to be mad about. It’s more about one chapter ending, a beautiful chapter of AEW that I am so proud of, then starting this new chapter. I kept repeating out there finish. I was not referring to the match. But finish as far as what’s coming, what I started here, and I must finish. He was very excited to meet me, and we spoke just before.
Cody Rhodes continued to discuss his departure from AEW a few months ago and spoke about the things he would like to do this time as a WWE wrestler. This is something he did not do in his first 10 years of service to the company. He said that his father Dusty Rhodes is going to have a new approach to things and looks forward to meeting a WWE writer. Cody Rhodes stated:
It sucks when you’re a wrestler and entertainer and you have to pat yourself on the back but truly, everything changed about sports entertainment, pro wrestling with what me, Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson], Kenny [Omega] and Tony [Khan] did,” Cody Rhodes said. “There are people eating and families who are being [started], that’s the great thing. I could’ve written off on that, that’s why I felt so good leaving, that’s why it made all the sense in the world, we did all of this. The kids are good and now I want to go and do something for me.
It’s simple, it’s one thing. I think if anything I want to present myself without fear because when I was here I was a kid, I was scared. Look around, there’s 50 people monitoring this interview, there’s the Chairman himself, there’s guys like Hunter, there’s Stephanie, there’s dynamic figures, Nick Khan. When you’re a kid, that’s scary even though you talk in the rental cars, I was a kid and to be able to come here and having known what works for me and keeping the disruptive things that I do. Because no matter what this was my place for so long but I am an outsider at this moment, I don’t know many people, I was blown away Michael Hayes was in Gorilla.
“To work without fear, to compete without fear because he’s what happens. If you do something that’s off-color and not what your producer or the boss wanted and they come back and yell at you, what’s the worst that can happen? The alternative is you go out there and you blow it because you were trying to play it safe which happened to me so much in the first 10 years. I would rather live and die by what I do and I had told everyone who helped court me into this, I said I have to do me. I’m not going to be rude to anybody but I look forward to the first writer to come up to me, I can’t wait. I’m not going to be rude, but man I’ll probably just lie to your face. ‘Sounds great,’ I mean no disrespect but there’s nothing fake about what I do.
That’s one of the hardest things about being me, the heat stays on really. There’s no gimmick, the American Nightmare is a name but it’s just me. I gotta do me and that doesn’t mean not listening to these individuals who have knowledge because all the books if you want to get over in wrestling are usually just here. Just to work and compete without fear because the worst that can happen is you say sorry it won’t happen again but you’ve got to go out. If your segment doesn’t work, nobody backstage gets credited for how that didn’t work, it’s you that sucks and I learned that the hard way.”
